This invention relates to a novel and improved fastening device or buckle for use with a belt, a band or the like.
Most of such conventional fastening devices are made of metal and have a sufficient structural strength. In recent years, however, the tendency is that they are made of plastic material, which renders them structurally weaker than if they are made of metal so that they are likely to be damaged or broken.
A conventional buckle is shown in FIG. 9 comprising a first component member 30 and a second compounent member 34 pivotally connected to the first component member. The first component member 30 comprises a base plate 31 having its opposite lateral portions bent perpendicularly thereto to form a pair of upstanding side walls 32, in each of which a bearing hole 33 is formed. The second component member 34 is formed with a pair of oppositely projecting pintles 35 which engage in the bearing holes 33 of the first component member 30 for pivotal movement of one of the two component members relative to the other.
If an external force is applied to the side walls 32, they are likely to be damaged or broken adjacent the base plate 31. In locked position in which the second component member 34 lies flat or generally parallel with the base plate 31 of the first component member 30, the top ends 32' of the side walls 32 thereof project above the upper level of the second component member 34, so that when the projecting top ends contact the skin of the wearer, they feel bad and when they are pressed onto the clothes of the wearer, dimples are likely to be formed in the clothes.